Say It Isn't So
by RainynDawn
Summary: Hermione had her heart broken and fled England. Now she's back after learning that the one man she loves is engaged to someone else. Can she win him back? HGHP
1. 1: Revelations

**DISCLAIMER: just own the plot. That's all folks.**

_Filling up my empty days with red wine, wonder what you think of me? Lying in the grass alone and wasted, nothing's how it used to be. I wanna be the first to call and tell you, yesterday I heard the news. I hear you outta be congratulated, so I guess that's what I'll do... _

_"Happy" by Saving Jane _

**Chapter 1: Revelations**

_This is a disaster! _a panicking twenty-year old Hermione Granger thought as she stared down at the bold headline on the paper currently lying on her imported coffee table. Not only did she have to live with the devastating news, but she had it shoved right in her face at every twist and turn. Worst still, she had to hear about it from those annoying reporters first because obviously her friends had not thought her important enough to tell her themselves.

Hermione was currently pacing in front of the window in her upscale New York apartment. She had moved to America after the war had been won (with the Boy-Who-Lived killing Voldemort, of course, and winning for the Light) for a remarkable position with Potion and Medicine Master, Ricardo Vindichi, one which she was proud to say had never been offered to a young witch fresh out of school before. Actually, it had never been offered to anyone under thirty before. So, with the blessing of her friends and family, Hermione packed up all of her belongings and travelled to America to start her new life.

It had been terrific in the beginning…of course, it usually is. However, everything began to change during her second year overseas. Though Ron had often dropped in while playing for the Chudley Cannons, Hermione began to see less and less of Harry. She had asked various members of the Weasley family who visited her why this was, but they would all shift their eyes about nervously and quickly change the topic. Eventually, Hermione decided to ignore it and throw herself into her work until she felt as if she was drowning in vials of every colour imaginable.

A year after her move, she received word of Ginny and Draco Malfoy's (who had switched sides before the Final Battle and became an asset to the Order) engagement and, shortly after that, Ron and Luna's. She had journeyed to London for their weddings and found that shy Neville had found a lifelong match in quiet Hannah Abbott.

Hermione had been able to corner Harry on these occasions long enough to hold a halfway decent conversation before he was off again, joining up with some others that he knew… and she didn't. She was an outsider in those moments, an unwanted appendage to the group, and she knew it.

Hermione remembered that she had left shortly after the reception for Ron and Luna's wedding and hadn't been back to London, or England for that matter, since. Those who wanted to see her came and visited her in New York. Those who didn't, well, she forced herself to not think about them. Because, though she loathed to admit it, Hermione was deeply wounded by the fact that Harry didn't seem to want to be around her anymore.

Hermione stopped in front of her window, staring out at the New York skyline as memories raced through her head. As much as she'd like to, she couldn't ignore the pain that welled up inside of her as the Headline shined in her head. She couldn't ignore that one of her best friends was ignoring her and why? Because in a brief moment of desperation, Hermione had spilt her deepest secret.

She knew what she had to do- she couldn't ignore it anymore. With quick steps, she reached the phone and picked it up, dialling her employer's telephone number. If anyone could, he _would _understand…

"Ricardo? It's Hermione….I was wondering if there's any way that I can take some time off for about a week or so….Well, I was hoping to go home for a little while. To England I mean…There's some unfinished business that I have to attend to….Thanks Ricardo, I owe you one. Bye."

In fifteen minutes, Hermione had her bags packed and was waiting by the door downstairs for her taxi to arrive. She had changed into a suitable outfit of fitted jeans and a long sleeve fitted top for travelling, but soon began second guessing her choice when she noticed some of the looks she was receiving from men. She couldn't really understand why they looked at her, she didn't think she was pretty at all.

In truth, Hermione didn't have what some would call "model" beauty. But at the age of twenty, Hermione had fully developed into a woman, possessing "natural" beauty, which many men found more delectable than the afore mentioned one. However, Hermione ignored the attention she received and concentrated on her work. That was her primary goal at the moment.

Until this happened. For now she had to concentrate on saving the remnants of a friendship that, somewhere along the way, had fallen apart instead of trying to save the rest of the world's problems. She had done that once and now it was her turn for happiness- no matter how broken hearted she would be in the long run, at least she would be able to say that she had both of her best friends by her side.

Hermione shut all the doors on her New York life as she climbed into the awaiting cab to take her to the Magical Transportation System strategically located under Trump Towers. She had to concentrate now on travelling to London and saving a friendship. Maybe somewhere along the way she would be able to pick up the pieces of her shattered heart.

Or maybe she left it back in her apartment in her trash bin along with the Daily Prophet which showed an animated picture of the Boy-Who-Lived and the bold headline: **Potter Announces Engagement**.

XoX

"The prototype for the new broomstick is said to be out on market in March of next year," a tall redheaded man donned in shockingly orange Quidditch robes commented to the man standing beside of him as they watched the other members of the team practice from the stands.

"Yeah," the other man, who had very untidy black hair indeed, agreed, "I heard about it. It's supposedly the best broomstick ever invented and they say that there will never be another one like it for at least ten years."

"Really?" the redhead laughed. "I heard that it would be at least twenty."

"I haven't heard anything on the person that invented yet, have you?"

The redhead shook his head. "Naw. There's some rumours going around that it was some brainy girl from America who supposedly has ties in England which made her want to create a racing broom that not only could fly at considerable speeds, but would be safe as well." He looked over at his friend. "You're telling me that little ol' me has heard more about something than the famous Harry Potter?"

Harry shrugged and grinned at his friend. "I guess I am." He looked up at the sky where a bludger was soaring towards a chaser. "I don't guess I get out much anymore."

"Well, you sure do seem to get out with Cho a lot," Ron commented, barely keeping the sarcasm out of his words. He really didn't like the girl….

Harry didn't say anything for a moment, but just stood there looking up at the players for the Chudley Cannons. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and rocked softly back and forth on his heels, his face set as he mulled over something in his head.

"Stupid question," Ron said, his voice serious though, "but have you talked to Hermione lately by chance."

Harry shifted, a movement which Ron noticed, and looked towards his feet. "Actually… I've been rather busy lately…you know, with the engagement with all…and haven't really had the…"

"Chance to talk to her," Ron finished lamely. "Yeah, you say that every time I ask." He looked over at one of his best friends and his blue eyes narrowed. "Have you even told her about your engagement?"

Harry blew out a puff of air and threw his head back, looking intently at the sky. "Not exactly…"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, I've been rather hoping that someone else could mention it to her for me…," Harry said slowly, not looking at Ron who stood there shaking his head angrily.

"Bloody hell, Harry, are you purposefully trying to drive the girl from you?" Ron slapped the banister and rounded on his friend. "You do realize that she's going to find out, if not from us then from that bloody paper that feels that it's their job to report every little detail about your life?"

"So?"

"She's going to be upset, Harry," Ron hissed. "I don't know about you, but I hate it when Hermione's upset, especially about something that either of us does. I don't care if you are the bloody 'Boy-Who-Lived', I will kick your arse if you upset Hermione."

Harry's eyes flashed as he turned angrily towards the seething Weasley. "You know what, Ron, this is between Hermione and myself so stay out of it. There's a reason that I haven't told her yet…yet being the keyword there… So please, if you don't mind, keep your large nose out of my affairs."

With that, Harry Potter, Boy-Who-Lived and saviour of the wizarding world, stormed off from the Chudley Cannon's practice pitch. As he left, he could of sworn he heard someone whisper the word, "wanker," but he just kept walking.

XoX

Hermione Granger sat in the back of the Knight Bus as it zoomed through London at breathtaking speeds. She, unlike the unthinking wizard seated towards the front of the bus, had been smart enough to not eat before stepping foot on the double-decker, having learnt from past experience of course.

Stan and Ernie were chatting amiably with the wizard up front, clearly not noticing the fact that the man was about ready to hurl his lunch everywhere. However, everyone else around him had and, when the bus had stopped to let off a passenger, they had all moved away, far away, from the man and his sickly green face.

Hermione opened up a large tome she had remembered to grab before she left for some light reading on the trip. Though she had already read the book several times, it remained one of her favourites and most cherished. The tales that Merlin spun about magic and ancient times fascinated her tremendously.

As she lost herself in the tales of the Lady of the Lake and other ancient gods, Stan called out a stop and the sick looking man jumped off of the bus without a second glance. Hermione and a few others on the bus chuckled until the bus lurched forward once more and took off, racing through the streets.

"The Leaky Cauldron," Stan called and Hermione looked up, startled to find herself to be the only one remaining on the bus, at least on the lower floor that is. "Miss, would you like for me to take your bags in."

Hermione smiled at him. He was no longer a acne covered teen, but a fairly decent looking man with large brown eyes that just made you trust him. "Yes, please do."

She followed him off the bus, carrying her satchel and purse on her arm while he took her other two, much larger, bags. He smiled at her shyly as he set them down just inside the door and blushed crimson when she returned it.

"Thank you ever so much," Hermione said gratefully, setting her belongings on her arm along with the other bags. "The trip was lovely."

"Thank you, ma'am," Stan managed to get out as he twisted his hat nervously in his hands. "If you ever need a ride, don't hesitate to stick out your wand. Me and Ern will be happy to pick you up."

Hermione thanked him again and assured him that she would as he walked out of the entrance to the pub. She turned around to be greeted with the face of Tom, the friendly old barkeep that owned the place.

"Why, bless my soul, it can't be….Hermione?" he spoke softly, staring into her brown eyes. When she nodded and smiled at him, he laughed and clapped her on the shoulder. "Was wondering when you'd be getting back to us, I was. Never seen such talent in a young witch, though I doubt anyone has if they'd be telling the truth."

"How are you, Tom?" Hermione asked with a pleasant smile. It was stimulating to be back on her own turf and with old friends. She never realized, until now, how much she truly missed her childhood home.

"I'm just dandy, everything's been running smoothly now that You-Know-Who isn't around anymore to darken the day, thanks to you and your friends," Tom said cheerfully. "But how are you, Hermione? Back for the wedding I suppose."

"Actually," Hermione said somewhat hesitantly, "no." She saw the surprise clearly etched on Tom's face and decided that she should elaborate. "I'm here to visit and then I'll be heading back. I doubt I'll go to the wedding…if I'm even invited."

"Of course you'll be invited," Tom cried. "You three are as tight as three pickled pomrant roots in a thornberit bush. Why wouldn't you be invited?"

Hermione shrugged. "Harry and I don't exactly get on that well nowadays."

Tom then preceded to weasel all of the details out of her. She had found out years ago that Tom was actually a very good listener and was tremendous at keeping secrets. He knew most of her deep, dark secrets…of course it sometimes took a couple shots of Firewhiskey to get them out of her.

However, he didn't know the one secret that she had been carrying around with her for years now and, when she told him, his jaw immediately hit the floor in disbelief. Hermione sat there, waiting for him to respond, as his mouth opened and shut repeatedly, obviously trying to work out what he should say.

"Wow," he finally managed to say as he drank his own shot of the powerful amber liquid. "Have you ever told him that, Hermione?"

Hermione sighed and looked down at her hands. "Yes, actually, but I didn't mean to say it." She looked up at him, a look of desperation in her eyes as crystal drops began to spill out. "He was dying, Tom…I didn't mean to say it… It just came out…"

As more and more tears began to stream down her face, the aging bartended wrapped a comforting arm around the witch and hugged her close. "I know, Hermione, I know…"

XoX

"Harry," the voice whined from beside of him inside the crowded shop filled with, he thought, everyone and their brother, "what colour do you like? The white, the off white, or the eggshell?"

Harry looked over at his fiancée. "Er…aren't they all the same?"

Immediately, the features on Cho's face darkened as she leaned in and hissed, "No, Harry dear, they are not the same and you had better start showing some interest in planning this wedding. I'm not marrying the most famous man in the wizarding world only to have people talking about him not interested in the wedding."

Harry stifled his groan as he pointed to the off white set of invitations and muttered, "That one."

"Good," Cho said with a smile to the worker that was jovially assisting them, "we'll take the eggshell."

Harry rolled his eyes and shifted from his right leg to his left, impatient with all this wedding stuff. He really didn't even know why he was here when Cho obviously didn't care about his opinion. Everything he had picked so far had not been up to her standards and, therefore, another selection was made.

"Mr. Potter, would you like to look at some silverware while your lovely fiancée is browsing through our plate selections?" the assistant asked politely.

Harry opened his mouth to answer yes, he'd love to actually, but Cho quickly snatched up his arm and stepped closer to him. "No, we'll browse together, thank you. We wouldn't want them to not match, now would we _darling_."

The way she said 'darling' told Harry that he was not to argue with her and, if he did, he would suffer greatly for it later. So, mutely he nodded and followed them through the large display of gaudy plates they could purchase for the reception.

"Cho," Harry whispered as he put a little distance between them and the assistant, "why can't we just get some plain white plates with gold trim or something like that?"

"Because," she remarked between clenched teeth, "then I wouldn't be happy. This is my wedding, Harry, don't you want me to be happy at _my_ wedding?"

"Well," Harry said slowly, "of course, but…"

"Then you will buy the plates that _I_ want and stop this incessant arguing. Really, Harry, one would think that you were opposed to getting married to me." She narrowed her eyes and her fingernails dug into his arm. "You aren't, are you?"

"Of course not, darling," Harry answered, trying desperately not to grimace as he was sure that she was currently drawing blood.

"Good," she said, loosening her grip a little and Harry let out a relief breath, careful to make it soft so that she wouldn't hear. Ron found it rather amusing that Harry faced down a Dark Lord but he was terrified of, in the words of Ron and most of the Weasley family, the money grubbing witch. "Then let's pick out some plates."

Harry looked over to his right and saw this hideous set and immediately grimaced with disgust. The plate itself was a ugly looking green that could only be described as someone mixing canary yellow paint in puke and smearing it on the plate. Around the plate were designs done in a pasty looking purple that clashed horribly with the green. It was quite revolting actually…

Immediately Cho squealed with delight and Harry turned, expecting to see her running towards a lovely little set. But was she? NO.

As luck would have it (since fate often liked punishing Harry for some unknown reason), Cho was running towards the set that had almost sent Harry into convulsions by merely looking at it. Yes, the green set.

"Oh Harry," Cho cried, clutching the plate to her breasts, "isn't this simply lovely!"

Harry scrunched up his face and looked over at the man assisting them and found he wore a similar expression. Clearly, they thought the same thing of the 'lovely' set. "Er…Cho, dear, won't that colour clash with all the other colours already in the wedding?" he asked gently, hoping not to set her off because then he _would_ have to look at the awful colour while eating.

Cho held the plate away from her and studied it, looking at it carefully as she turned it round and round. "Maybe you're right, Harry, but I do love this plate…" Suddenly her face lit up and Harry inwardly groaned. "I have a fantastic idea!"

_Great_, Harry thought dryly, _I just can't wait to hear it_…

"We can purchase these for _our_ house," she said charmingly, sidling up to him and smiling at him sweetly. "And then we can just redecorate the kitchen to match them. Won't it be lovely?"

Harry fought hard, harder than he ever had to with Voldemort, to keep the look of absolute revulsion off his face as she looked up at him. He chanced a glance over at the man and found himself subject to the most pitying glance every bequeathed on a mortal.

"Why don't we wait and talk about it later, eh?" Harry said softly, kissing her lightly on the forehead. "If, after the honeymoon, you still want them, we'll come back."

Cho pouted for a minute and then realized that she would, in the end, get her way so she smiled back, bouncing back over to set the plate back on the display. She then bounded off in search of a plate set.

As Harry passed the assistant, he whispered, "Who in their right mind would make a plate that colour?" All he received was a shrug.


	2. 2: Meeting

**DISCLAIMER: Still don't own it...just the plot**

_Sad the way we always seem to pass by one another. Hiding, so afraid of the things we might discover. Caught up in a moment that only you can live in. You never know who's giving the air that you might breathe in._

_"Ordinary" by Saving Jane_

**Chapter 2: Meeting**

Hermione walked down the familiar streets of Diagon Alley, taking in all the sights and sounds. Everyone smiled happily at her, the fear the Voldemort once instilled in them gone and their spirits were high once more. It was obvious just by the look everyone wore on their face that there had been a great shift in the wizarding world.

She glanced up and found that she was standing in front of the shop where she had once purchased Crookshanks who had sadly passed away from old age four and a half months ago. He had been her companion when she was lonely and now she was alone once more.

But not for long…

Hermione strode into the store with every intent on purchasing an owl but even her best plans fell awry. She was between two shelves of well behaved owls who were, Hermione thought, showing off when she heard a mangled cry and a woman shout.

"Get back here, you mangy cat, before I hex you clear into tomorrow," an older woman with greying hair and wrinkling skin screamed as she shot off spell after spell out of her wand.

Hermione briefly caught sight of a sleek calico cat as it dodged between owl cages, trying to evade the curses thrown at it. Hermione made up her mind in a split instant and shouted off a disarming spell as she jumped forward to pick up the cat.

"STOP!" Hermione cried desperately, shielding the cat with her arms.

The woman stopped and observed Hermione and the cat held in her arms. "That cat's a menace, I tell ya. Best to let me get rid of it and be done…"

"No!" Hermione interrupted. She looked down at the cat in her arms and found a pair of liquid gold eyes staring back at her, almost pleading. "How much?"

"Ey?" the woman asked disbelievingly. She shook her head as she crossed her arms. "You take that beast off my hands and you can have him for free," she said, walking away from Hermione and waving her hand in the air. "Just don't bring him back."

After nodding in agreement, Hermione re-entered Diagon Alley with the mischievous calico held tightly in her arms. She was trying to decide what she could call the miniature beast. She was going to call him "Hex" since the first time that she saw him, the woman was shooting hexes at him, but that name just didn't really sound right to her. With a smile, Hermione said, "Jinx, I'll call you Jinx."

The cat purred in her arms and rubbed his head against her arm. She took this as a sign that he liked the name and was, in fact, quite comfortable with having her for an owner. Hopefully he was house trained….

Hermione set off back towards the Leaky Cauldron with the intent on dropping her new familiar off before continuing her shopping. The plan, in itself, was good but Hermione's luck had never been good and her timing was even worse for as she rounded a corner, she ran smack into someone.

"Oomph," Hermione mumbled in surprise as she shielded the cat from harm as she went to fall, but two arms shot out and steadied her right before she went down. "Oh…, I'm so very sorr…," she broke off as she looked up and met the eyes of the person standing before her.

XoX

Mrs. Molly Weasley was proud to admit that she had raised seven wonderful children. Yes, she even considered Fred and George to be "well behaved" when they wanted to be and were rather endearing at times. She was also happy to say that she had two other children who she thought of as her own though they had their own families.

They were wonderful children throughout their seven years of Hogwarts, getting themselves into a spot of trouble every now and then. Why, not only had they graduated at the top of their class (Harry and Hermione, of course…Ron was a _little_ ways down the list), but they had also managed to spare time to train other students in Defence Against the Dark Arts _and_ save the world from a powerful and evil wizard.

Now her babies were all grown up and out of school, off chasing their own dreams and starting relationships. Bill and Fleur already had a small son and both Ginny and Ron were expecting children soon. And Harry, dear sweet Harry, was getting ready to be married…

She frowned slightly when she thought of Harry as she peeled a rather odd shaped potato. Yes, she loved Harry like he was her own son, but she rather disapproved of the way he was treating Hermione. Of course she didn't know the whole story, but she did know that, though Hermione fought not to show it, Harry was really hurting her. She only wondered why….

Molly sat the now skinless potato in a bowl of water and wiped her hands on her apron, staring out of the window of the Burrow. A lot had changed over the years, but the Burrow was the one thing that remained the same with only one exception: the children.

With a sigh, Molly took a seat at the knobbly old table and placed her hand under her chin, lost in thought. One day, she hoped, all of her children, biological or not, would return to her with smiles upon their faces…not bickering and ignoring each other. One day she hoped that they would return and become a family once more….

XoX

Harry had his arm in a vice-like grip by Cho as they exited the bridal boutique. While he was trying to remain as inconspicuous as possible, she was shouting out and waving at everyone she knew and then some. She loved the attention, glorified in it, while he shrank from it. Popularity was never really his thing.

He sighed and rubbed his face with his free hand as they made their way around the shop, making their way to the Leaky Cauldron where they were going to have a quick drink before heading back to their different homes. However, they soon found that two people were blocking their path.

"Hermione?" Harry choked out as he caught sight of the all too familiar brown eyes and long dark brown hair. His eyes quickly scanned over her, noticing the changes she had gone through over the past year since he last saw her. She looked amazing.

She smiled softly and stepped up beside of her companion, something fuzzy tucked in her arms. "Hello Harry," she said quietly, nodding her head in acknowledgement. She glanced briefly over at Cho but elected not to address the girl whom she rather detested in school.

She let down the thing in her arms and Harry noticed it to be another cat. He briefly wondered what happened to Crookshanks and why she had a new cat…a mischievous looking one at the. But Hermione stopped his train of thought when she took another step closer to the man.

Hermione gestured to the guy standing beside of her. "You remember Blaise Zabini, don't you Harry?"

Harry nodded and cast a look over at the man standing beside of her. He remembered Blaise quite well actually, seeing as he was one of Draco's best friends and had served as best man at the wedding. He also remembered the fact that he had once mentioned he had a crush on Hermione.

Blaise stuck out his hand in a friendly gesture towards Harry. "How are you doing, Harry? Cho?"

Cho's grip, if possible, tightened on Harry as he shook the other man's hand. "We are actually holding up well," she answered for them, "with all the stress that the wedding is adding to our work load."

She got that look which said that she was planning on rambling on about wedding plans and, quite frankly, Harry didn't want to hear it. "What are you doing back in England, Hermione?"

She glanced at him, her gaze going from confusion to unemotional as she answered, "I'm here to visit Ron and Ginny. I told them that I'd come by sometime."

"Ron and Ginny?" he questioned.

"Yeah," she said, raising her chin up defiantly, "I thought I should visit those who thought enough of me to visit me in America."

Harry flinched as if she had slapped him. He knew he deserved her harsh words, probably would have deserved it if she _had_ slapped him. But he couldn't bring himself to apologize to her…not now…

"So you came all the way back to England just to see Ron and Ginny," Cho said sweetly, too sweetly even for her. Harry glanced at her wearily. "How…convenient, for you I mean."

Harry noticed Hermione slowly cross her arms over her chest and take a stance she normally took when her and Ron would bicker. Cho, however, didn't know this simple fact about Hermione and would continue on until she made her point…whatever that may be.

"And what exactly do you mean by that?" Hermione asked slowly, raising a questioning brow.

Blaise and Harry merely looked back and forth between the two girls as Hermione's gaze grew harder during Cho's answer. "Well," Cho started, "it's just that you've been gone for…what, two years now and you've never bothered before now to visit and now you're here…just after we announced our engagement."

"Funny," Hermione replied dryly, "that you accuse me of coming home for your engagement when I haven't even received any announcement or had my _best_ friend tell me."

"And yet you don't seem surprised," Cho returned with a large fake smile.

"In case you haven't noticed," Hermione spat harshly, "the wizarding community isn't exactly small around here. The Boy-Who-Lived getting married is big news. After all, he's famous and loved by all," she paused before adding, "even if the bride-to-be isn't."

Harry had never seen one of Cho's smiles fall off so quickly. She opened her mouth to retort but Hermione, ever the quick-witted one, beat her to it. "Quite frankly, I don't give a hippogriff's arse that you two are getting married, Cho. Like I said, I came to see Ron and Ginny."

Hermione smiled inwardly, proud that her lie wasn't obvious. She _had_ came to see Harry, to confirm every doubt she held within her very bones. She needed to see that it was true to believe it….maybe she could start to mend her heart now…

"Now, I'm sure you're both very busy…with the wedding plans and all…so, if you'll excuse me, I must be going," Hermione stated before turning to look at Blaise. "Would you like to walk me back to the Leaky Cauldron?"

Blaise smiled at her and held out his arm for her to take. "It would be my pleasure." Hermione scooped up her new cat in one arm and took Blaise's with her other and walked off from the two, fighting every urge not to look back.

XoX

The fire was beginning to dwindle down to a mere flame as Harry sat in front of it, lost in thought, in the wee hours of the morning. He had begged off staying with Cho for the night, saying he had some work to finish and probably wouldn't make it to bed at all. The last part was true since he knew he had a lot to think about, while the first part was just an excuse.

Harry sat back in his chair with a hearty sigh. Hermione was back. It had been easy to avoid the truth when she was in America because he could avoid her. Though he had to suffer from the long and tedious speeches of various Weasley family members, Harry found it easier to just avoid the situation.

He remembered why he had started to avoid her so long ago. Though the truth of the matter had been staring him right in the face for well over five years. However, one night it had all came to light. He remembered it well….

It had been shortly after the defeat of Voldemort and roundup had began for the rogue Death Eater who had eluded capture. Harry had been out on one of those missions when he was confronted by Lucius Malfoy and about three others. The spells had flown and Harry had been hit before taking out them. The damage had been great and some feared if Harry would even make it through the night.

Ron, too, had been hurt so he was in St. Mungo's being treated as well. Hermione was the one who had stayed by his side. She had been the one to cry over him and hold his hand while the spasms of pain made him cry out. She had been the one that wiped the tears from his eyes.

He remembered drifting in and out of consciousness, listening as Hermione's sobs started, then subsided before starting all over again. And then she was there, on the bed beside him, grasping his hand tightly in her own.

"I know you can hear me, Harry," she whispered, "though you can't answer, you can listen. I'll never forgive you if you leave me now, Harry Potter. I can't live without you, I can't wake up and know you're not there. I need you Harry…"

He had tried to open his eyes to answer her, to reassure her, but she started again.

"Ron and I…we're family, but I think I can make it if he were too…well, you know. But you…Gods Harry, you're the blindest person I've ever known, you know that?" Her voice grew soft, serious. "I love you, Harry Potter, I have for a long time and even if I've just ruined our friendship, you need to live…so that I can live too…."

Harry had been released two weeks after that and he briefly registered that Hermione had stayed with him through it all, though she seemed to disappear during his periods of consciousness. He remembered her words, thought of them as he was healing, and avoiding speaking to or of her until he worked out his own feelings.

In the end, Harry had found it easier to just completely ignore the situation and pretend as if he had never even heard her confession. But she knew…he saw the way she looked at him and he took the cowardly way out by distancing himself from her and ultimately killing their friendship. He had hurt her and he was being a "bloody chicken," as Draco liked to say, by running.

Harry took his glasses off and ran a hand over his face. It was official, fate liked to play games with his life and screw him over. But he deserved it; he deserved _a lot_ worse.

So, what were his feelings towards Hermione? He wasn't completely sure really. He, of course, had missed her when she had left, but he 'tried' to replace her with Cho, which had worked for a while….until she had to come back and remind him of all the reasons she had left.

She was his friend, he told himself, and that was why he was so lonely. So what was that weird emotion he felt when he saw her with Blaise?


	3. 3: Learning

**DISCLAIMER: Nope, still don't own anything but the plot.**

_In the company of strangers I am less than fine. I am turning into wallpaper before your eyes. Somehow I always end up on the wrong side of this fight. One day I will get it right. _

_"Reasons Why" By Saving Jane_

**Chapter 3: Learning**

Hermione sat quietly at the table in the Weasley residence, a steaming mug of chocolate held in between her hands, with most of the Weasley's (plus a few extras) surrounding her. Blaise had offered to come with her today but she had declined, saying that she really just wanted a nice little visit today. However, as she sat in the middle of the table, the "visit" felt more like a reunion.

As Molly Weasley tried for the eighth time in the past ten minutes to shove a plate of food in front of her, Hermione snapped out of her trance and pushed the plate away. "No thank you, Mrs. Weasley, I'm really not that hungry…."

"But you're as thin as a willow stick," Molly protested adamantly. "Just look at you, all skin and bones. Soon there will be nothing left of you."

Hermione smiled. "I highly doubt that, Mrs. Weasley. Actually, I just ate a little bit ago before I left the Leaky Cauldron so I really am not that hungry."

Molly waved her hand about impatiently. "Enough of this 'Mrs. Weasley' stuff. Call me Molly, dear, everyone else does, except my children of course."

"And we call her Bob," chimed Fred who earned a slap from his mother.

Hermione laughed along with the rest of them. She looked around. It was true, you never really know what you've got until you lose it… "It's so good to see all of you again, at one time that is. I've missed you guys so much."

"Then you shouldn't stay away," was Fred's answer to that. He smirked as he slung one arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. "You should move back here."

"I really can't…," she started but was cut off when George said, "What will it take, Hermione, to get you to move back here? Money? A house?"

Hermione shook her head while chuckling. "Sorry, George, but…"

"How about a husband?" George added quickly. "Fred, here, is still available. No ring on his finger," he added, slapping his twin on the back.

Molly cried out at her son's suggestion but Hermione could see in the older woman's eyes that she really wouldn't have minded all that much if it meant having Hermione back in England. "Well, I'm sorry but I have to decline," Hermione said with a bright smile. She pinched Fred's cheek. "Don't worry, though, I still think you're adorable."

He leaned in close to her and whispered in her ear, "Don't worry, love, we still have the nights," with a wink.

Obviously everyone at the table heard his comment for Molly was around the table at record breaking speeds and slapped him upside the head. She walked away muttering something like, "How did I end up with sons like these two?"

"Anyways," Ron started loudly, setting aside his empty plate, "_we_ are glad that you're back, Hermione. We've really missed you. It's just not the same without you here, scolding me at every little thing I do."

"Thanks," Hermione said with a faint blush, "but I'm afraid that it is better for me to live in America. I just…I wanted to see you guys so I came…"

"Are you staying for the wedding," Percy asked candidly as he walked into the kitchen, creating a pregnant silence. It seemed that at that moment, no one could look at Hermione and found interest in some other thing.

"It's okay you guys," she said, forcing a brilliant smile onto her face, " I don't know why everyone is tiptoeing around the subject…"

"Because we all know how you feel for Harry," Ron interrupted her, levelling her with his blue eyes. "We don't know what happened between you two, but we do know that you love him."

Hermione looked around at them, noticing the pity that was reflected in their eyes, all directed at her. Hermione hated pity; it always made her feel weak and vulnerable.

She nodded, looking down at her hands. "I see," she murmured, rising deftly from the table. She backed away from them and towards the door. "Then you all should understand why I can't stay." She smiled up at them as she opened the door. "It's been great seeing you guys."

XoX

They always say then when a wedding is approaching, the bride will get pre-wedding jitters. Well, right now, Harry wanted to shout out at all those people that it is the _groom_ who gets the jitters.

Right now, Harry was dodging in and out of stores, desperately seeking to avoid the presence of his fiancé. Mean? He thought not.

He had a lot on his mind and he wanted to think about it…alone. Cho's very presence lately had been getting on his nerves so he thought it best to just avoid her all together.

But, like he said earlier, fate often liked to reach down her finger and knock Harry flat on his arse for the next store he so 'conveniently' ducked into was Fred and George's joke shop. And in it was…

"Hermione?"

The bushy haired witch spun around quickly, dropping the small box which she held in her hand. "Oh," she muttered, bending over quickly to clean it up.

Fred, who had been standing beside of her, bent down and placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's alright, Hermione. I've got this if you want to go talk with Harry."

Harry watched as Hermione gave the twin a withering glare and could perfectly understand. However, Hermione was a lady of grace and instead of walking away from him (like he probably deserved) she rose and walked over to him.

"Harry," she said with what seemed like a genuine smile, "it's nice to see you again."

"Yeah, you too." He shifted nervously. "Finally giving in and buying some pranks?"

Hermione glanced over her shoulder at Fred who had stood back up and was walking away. "Yeah," she muttered. "Fred told me to come by and see how the business is going so I thought I would. It really has been doing well."

"It's a hit. Everyone wants to come here whenever they come into Diagon Alley, or Hogsmeade now for that matter. They want to open one up in Scotland."

Hermione nodded and smiled. "They should. Actually, we were just discussing the possibility of them opening up one in America. All the people where I work always get the magazines and tell me that I should see if they would open up a store."

"What did the twins think?"

"They loved it. As soon as they can get more information from the zoning committee over there, they're going to try to get enough space to start building." She glanced around. "I don't think they should have any problems…"

"No," he agreed, then, "and if they do, I'll help them."

Hermione nodded, her smile wiped from her face. "Boy Wonder, stepping in to save the day again," she whispered, her eyes cast downward, "for some anyways."

He opened his mouth to tell her that he was sorry. To ask her for forgiveness, no, to _beg_ for forgiveness. But the words just wouldn't leave his mouth. He heard her take a deep intake of breath and focused his attention back on her.

"Look," she said, "I know I didn't say this the other day, you know how I get over Cho, but I just want to wish you all the luck with your marriage. You two seem well suited for each other…"

"Hermione…"

"I'm not planning on staying that long, actually just for another couple of days or so, so I should be out of your guys' way soon…"

"Hermione…"

Her brown eyes landed on his. "I know that you don't want to see me, Harry, and, though I might not understand, I can accept it. I know now that I shouldn't have come here. Not now…hell, probably not ever, but I had to."

Harry ran a hand through his hair. "Hermione, you don't have to avoid England just because of me."

She bowed her head and when she lifted it back up, he could see the tears that brimmed her eyes. "Yeah," she whispered softly, "I do."

Harry watched sadly as she brushed past him and out the door, not once glancing back at him. She felt lost to him now, completely lost, and he couldn't say he liked the feeling.

"You don't deserve her love."

Harry looked around to find himself facing down Blaise who was glaring at him. He tried to move past, but he found his arm gripped. "Look, just let me go. She's leaving and I'm getting married, there's nothing left to talk about…"

"There's everything to talk about," Blaise spat. "She loves you and every fool can see it, and what do you do? You rub your engagement in her face and yet you didn't even have the decency to tell her yourself. You let the press do your dirty work."

Harry shoved the other man away. "You don't know the situation so why don't you just back off."

"And if I don't?" he challenged Harry. "I, like many others, have stood by while you shovelled through our lives like a wrecking ball and now you just want me to stand aside while you hurt the one woman who loves you unconditionally? Sorry, Potter, I won't."

"Is there a problem here?"

Harry looked over his shoulder at Fred and George who stood a little ways away, watching them closely. "No, Blaise here was just giving me some unneeded advise."

Blaise glared at him once more before storming past him and out of the door, heading off in the direction Hermione had went. Harry stared after him. Blaise would prove to be a pest, he knew, as long as Hermione was in England.

"Harry, mate, are you sure you know what you're doing?" George asked, coming up beside of him.

"What do you mean?"

Fred shook his head while chuckling. "You don't even realize the problem that's staring at you right in the face." He looked at Harry. "You need to sort out your priorities, and once that is done, open your eyes to what is right in front of you."

Fred walked off leaving Harry with only George to keep him company. "Avoiding Cho are you?" the twin asked with a mischievous glint in his eye.

"How did you know?"

"I saw her walk by earlier and then you came dodging in her so I just added it up," he replied. "The only question is why would you want to avoid the woman you are about to pledge your life to, eh?"

Harry sighed. "It's complicated."

The corner of George's mouth tilted up. "That seems to be the favoured answer of every question nowadays. Now, I have a magazine up front, brand new, that I thought you might be interested in."

"Really? What is it?"

"It's on racing brooms," George replied. There was an odd glint in his eyes that made Harry wary. "There's a particularly interesting article in there about the new racing broom that will be out for viewing soon."

"Does it say who the inventor is?"

That glint in his eyes flared up and George quirked, "It may say something concerning the inventor. I put it back for you. It's up front at the counter…"

Harry followed him up to the counter and waited patiently as George retrieved it. He glanced down at the cover to see a sleek black broom on the front, the words _The Marauder_ written in startling gold on the handle.

He glanced up at George quizzically. "Go ahead," was all he received in reply, "no charge. After all, we are in your debt for giving us enough money to start up our joke shop."

Harry, about to protest, was literally pushed out of the shop, the magazine still clutched tightly in his hand. Only when he was a good ways away did he notice the fact that the magazine was not set to come out until another three months.


	4. 4: Breaking

**DISCLAIMER: Still can't say I own it...**

_It's too late to say you're sorry, you've been gone from here too long. I hope you found what you were missing, cause I don't miss you here at all. And it's too bad that I'm not crying for you baby..._

_"Who's Cryin Now" by Saving Jane_

**Chapter 4: Breaking**

Hermione sat on a bench some way away from anything magical near a pond, idly tossing bread to the various ducks and geese that drifted along on the water. She was lost in thought, though, as she was basically mechanically throwing the bread in.

She had left Harry exactly four hours and forty-three minutes ago, quickly manoeuvring her way through the crowded streets of Diagon Alley, and had perched here after buying some old biscuits.

For the life of her, she couldn't remember single reason of why she had came back. It was plainly obvious that Harry had been avoiding her for a reason and she should have known better than the come back at this time. She was unwanted and deep in her heart she knew she had probably lost her best friend for good.

The ducks were growing a little more brave by now and were drifting closer to her while the geese remained a little ways away, their eyes suspicious of her and her motives. How like her life, she thought sardonically, there were some who remained close while others slowly drifted away, always regarding her through suspicious eyes.

"But those who drift closer only do so because I feed them," she whispered softly to herself, staring off into the distance while the ducks quacked near her.

"Actually, I think they are entranced by your beauty."

Hermione literally jumped in her seat, startled at the new arrival behind her. She leaped off of the bench and spun around, the biscuits flying out of her hand and onto the ground where the ducks swarmed around them greedily. She gasped and took a step back. "What are you doing here?"

Harry shrugged and stepped around the bench. "I just finished reading a rather interesting article which gave me a lot to think about." He took a seat on one end of the bench and patted the spot next to him.

She looked at the spot as if encouraging it to grow. Quit being sill, she mentally scolded herself as she forced herself to give him a stiff smile and take the seat beside him. "I thought you'd be busy with wedding plans."

Was she imagining it or did she see a look of repugnance flutter across his eyes before he successfully masked it? "No, Cho is quite capable of making those types of decisions herself." He paused, looking quite thoughtful. "Besides, I've been getting the impression that my opinion is not wanted."

Hermione frowned as she turned slightly on the bench to get a better look at him. "But it is your wedding too, Harry. Don't you want to have a say in your own wedding?"

Harry finally turned to get a good look at her. "Why didn't you tell me, Hermione?"

She shifted nervously in her seat, unable to meet his eye now. She focused on the ducks while answering evasively, "I really have no idea what you are referring to."

"The broom," Harry replied simply, causing her head to snap around to look at him through doe-like eyes as she stammered, "the…broom?"

He nodded. "I read the article, you know. George gave it to me after you left," he informed her. "He said that I would find it an 'interesting read.'" He looked at her searchingly before adding softly, "I did."

Hermione looked away. "I didn't think you'd be very interested actually. It's not that big of a deal anyways…"

Harry laughed. "Not that big of a deal? Hermione, you designed and created the world's fastest racing broom ever. No one can figure out how exactly you enabled it to travel that fast and still be safe."

Hermione blushed faintly. "It's not for sale, you know. I didn't even mean for anyone to find out about it."

"How did they then?"

"I was out testing it on one of my days off. I usually tried to avoid anyplace where someone could spot me but that day Ricardo happened to stumble upon me while I was flying it." She gave a dry chuckle. "I didn't even know he had told anyone until the reporters started haggling me."

Harry's mouth quirked. "You mean that Ricardo hadn't even tried to claim that he created the broom?"

Hermione gave a genuine laugh this time. "Heavens, no! Ask him a question about herbs or potions and he can rattle off every detail that you'd ever need to know. But he doesn't know the first thing about Quidditch or brooms for that matter."

Harry smiled, "But he obviously knew a good thing when he saw one."

Hermione merely shrugged. She leaned back slightly on the bench, a small smile playing at her lips. "You know, I was planning on sending you the prototype for your birthday."

"Really?" When she nodded, he smiled slightly, then frowned. "Did you create the broom just for me, Hermione?"

This time Hermione's blush was more pronounced. "Well, since the war you haven't played Quidditch that much…I just thought that maybe if you had a new broom…"

"That I'd play again," he finished and watched as she slowly nodded her head in agreement. "Maybe you're right. I don't play Quidditch enough anymore." He gave an unexpected laugh. "Hell, I don't even have enough fun anymore, if any."

Hermione surveyed him closely. He tried to shield his eyes from her, knowing that she had the ability to see past his defences. Sure enough, she asked softly, "Do you even know _how_ to have fun anymore, Harry?"

He looked away and, taking a leaf out of her own book, gazed out at the scenery in front of them. He figured she'd ask something like that but nevertheless he was left without a clue as to what to say in response. "I don't know," was all he could manage to say.

She rose from the seat, turning to gaze at him. "The broom, it's yours. I have no intention of marketing the broom so you need not worry that someone else will have the same broom…"

"Hermione…"

"I hope you and Ron find time to play a little one-on-one Quidditch, the way you two used to…"

"Hermione…"

"I hope it rides well enough. If it doesn't, well, Ron can get a hold of me."

Harry jumped up as she was about to turn around and race off, grabbing her hand to pull her around to face him. "Don't leave, Hermione. Please, just hear me out."

Hermione looked away. At that moment, the only thing she wanted to do was run. But she remembered that she had come back to London to try to salvage her friendship so she nodded, resuming her seat while he stood. She didn't dare to look at Harry just yet for fear of what he may find in her eyes.

Harry ran a hand through his dark hair, messing it up even more than it was before. "I… Hermione, I am so sorry…"

When he didn't go on, she chanced asking, "For what?" She looked up at him, her eyes hard. "For ignoring me for the past two years? For avoiding me every time I did see you? For turning your back on me every time I tried to salvage our friendship?"

"Hermione please…"

"You don't need to apologize, Harry," she said, standing once more. "I'm a big girl now, I understand when I'm not wanted. I should have stayed in America…"

Harry grabbed her hand once again, this time not letting go. "No, you shouldn't even be in America. You belong here…with us."

Hermione raised a brow sceptically. "Don't you mean with the Weasley's? I haven't exactly been getting the impression that you would miss me if I went away… permanently."

Harry looked as if she had just used the Cruciatus Curse on him. "How can you say that, Hermione?"

She tried to pry her hand out of his grip but he just refused to let go. "Maybe because it is the truth, Harry. Now please let me go. I really need to go back…"

"Why are you even staying at the Leaky Cauldron?" Harry asked suddenly. "There's plenty of room at Grimmauld Place…"

She sighed loudly, cutting him off. "Harry, _you_ live there."

He looked at her strangely. Obviously he had expected her to jump at his offer, not point out the obviously. "I know."

"Harry, we don't do well seeing each other now so I really don't think we'd survive seeing each other every day." She bit her lower lip and shrugged analytically. "Besides, I'm heading back to America soon so I don't see the big deal…"

"What?" Harry cried. "Why?"

"Ricardo needs my help," she told him simply. "My job…it's demanding. We're in the middle of something and I had just planned on a little respite, you know, pop in and pop out. I promised Ricardo that I'd be back as soon as possible."

It should have scared Hermione how easily she found it to lie to him. She knew she should have just told him the truth, that she couldn't stand being near him. That it killed her every time she saw him with Cho.

Harry came closer to her, gripping her shoulders so as to hold her closer to him and to make sure she did not run away. "Hermione, this is your home. That…that's just a job." He stepped even closer to her. "I know you care for me, Hermione…"

She shook her head slowly. "Please don't do this, Harry…"

"I don't know what I want really…but I know that I can't lose you. I don't want to lose what we've got."

Mustering all the courage she had, Hermione pushed him away, her eyes narrowed angrily. "What we've got?" she spat. "We have nothing, Harry, you made damn sure of that two years ago when you basically turned your back on me after I spilt my heart and soul to you."

The tears brimming at her eyes began to cascade down her cheeks. "_I_ stayed beside you, Harry. _I_ was the one that held your hand while you laid there. _I_ was the one that gave you my strength so you could heal faster." She turned and walked away but not before whispering, "And _I_ was the one who loved you heart, mind, and soul."

XoX

Some marvelled at how easily Cho Chang had obtained the saviour of the wizarding world. Some suspected the use of an illegal love potion while others thought it was all just "so romantic." Personally, all of Harry's friends thought it was sickening and, if given the chance, would ditch her the first chance they got.

Maybe that was why all the Weasley's were rooting for Hermione and hoping that she would stay in England. That was also why they could be found plotting deviously. However, like every good plan, there was one opposed to idea.

"I'm telling you lot, it is _not_ going to work," a red-faced Draco Malfoy informed all his 'dear' brother-in-laws as they all congregated at the Weasley residence to plot. Though he still didn't like them very much, he made an attempt to be civil for the sake of his wife.

"Shove a sock in it, Malfoy," George said with a sigh as he leaned back in his seat. So far, George and Fred had been quite nice to him.

"Look, it's a fool proof plan," Ron said simply. "It _has_ to work."

"No," Draco said, shaking his head, "it doesn't _have _to work. If Potter wants to be with Chang, then he'll stay with her." He shrugged. "It's not like we can really stop them from getting married…"

His voice drifted off as he saw the mischievous look that entered the twins' eyes. He was instantly filled with dread. "What are you two planning on doing exactly?"

Fred and George looked at each other and smirked. "Do you really want an answer to that, dear brother-in-law?" Fred asked while George chimed, "Ask us no questions and we'll tell you no lies."

Draco looked over at where his wife sat. "Sometimes I think that I should have requested that you leave these two."

XoX

There were approximately thirty-five thousand, six hundred and seventy-five books in Flourish and Blotts with over seventeen thousand, one hundred and eighty-nine different topics. About two hundred and eighty-five of those books contained either Harry's name or something about him. Unfortunately for Hermione, it seemed as if the only books that called out to her where those ones.

Hermione growled low in her throat and replaced the book on the shelf. She had thought that if she came to the bookstore, that she would get her mind off Harry for a bit.

Wrong. So very, very wrong.

If anything, she was thinking of Harry more now that before. Harry was everywhere. On the books, on posters, on shirts…Hermione felt she was suffocating in a pool of Harry "Golden Boy" Potter and, for the second time in her life, she just wanted to run away as fast as she could.

"Anything interesting?"

Recognizing the voice, Hermione didn't even bother to turn around as she scanned over the covers. "No, not particularly unless you want to read on how the Boy-Who-Lived _graciously_ saved the wizarding world."

Laughter sounded at her words. "Trouble in paradise?"

Hermione rounded on her childhood enemy. "Since the whole bloody world seems to know how I feel, then you should bloody well know there has been 'trouble in paradise' for two years, Draco."

As she went to turn away from him and storm away, he caught her arm to stop her. "Ah, come on, Hermione, I'm sorry." He gave her his best puppy eyes (which weren't all that good). "Forgive me? Please?"

Hermione sighed and moved her arm to loop it through his, walking with him out of the store and down the street. "Fine, Draco, I don't care. Look, I'm sorry I snapped. I'm just so…frustrated about this whole situation."

He nodded, his mouth set in a straight line. "Understandable, of course. In fact, I wonder why you haven't snapped before now."

"I've had a nice little chat with Harry earlier," she informed him and he said, "Ah," as if that explained everything.

They walked in silence for a moment or two before Draco asked, "Hermione, have you ever thought that maybe Harry does return your feelings but he's just too afraid to show it?"

"If he was too afraid to show it, Draco, then why did he avoid me?" She glanced up at him. "I don't think he is afraid. He just doesn't care about me the way I do him."

"See, that's where I think you're wrong." He had a large grin on his face as he swung her around to stand directly in front of him. "Anyone would be a fool if they denied your love."

She laughed. "And why is that, all knowing one?"

"Because you love wholeheartedly. You wouldn't just commit a little to the relationship, you would give it all. Also, you are real."

"I would hope so."

"That's not what I meant. Cho is a pretender. She puts on this pretty front when inside she's really rather ugly. But you, what you see is what you get. You're not afraid to show who you are and be proud of it."

Hermione wrapped her arms around him. "Ah, Draco, you're making me blush, but thank you. That means a lot to me that you think that."

"I'm not the only one who thinks that," he informed her, letting her go just enough so that she could stand beside him as they walked down the busy street. His one arm was still slung over her shoulder and she had her arm wrapped around his waist.

"Hey," he said just about as they reached the Leaky Cauldron, "Fred and George want to throw you a small party, since you're back and all."

"Fred and George?" she asked with a hint of a smile. "Should I be scared?"

"No, they love you, Hermione, they wouldn't do anything to you." She thought she heard him put a little emphasis on the 'you' but she could have been mistaken. "Anyways, just family and friends. Will you come?"

"When is it?"

"Tonight around seven."

"Alright, I guess I can make time in my very busy schedule to come see you guys," she teased, smiling brightly up at him. "Where will it be?"

He chuckled softly. "That, my dear Hermione, is a surprise. One of us will be by to pick you up around five till seven. Oh, George told me to tell you to be sure to where a saucy little dress so that Fred could drool over you."

She laughed loudly, drawing attention to them from other shoppers that lined the street. "I don't know if I own a 'saucy' dress but I'll try to find something that goes along those lines."

Draco leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Good, I'll see you tonight."

As she disappeared into the Leaky Cauldron, Draco heard someone come up beside him. Glancing over, he whispered, "Step one is complete."


	5. 5: Feeling

**DISCLAIMER: I have yet to own it...**

_My hair's a wreck, mascara runs, my feet get dirty and my skin burns in the sun. My lips they bleed, but I still sing my songs. Takes me a minute to admit it when I'm wrong. Pretty is as pretty does, but pretty's not my thing..._

_"Imperfection" by Saving Jane_

**Chapter 5: Feeling**

Hermione surveyed herself in the mirror thinking that she may have went a little over the top. She didn't think that this would be considered a 'saucy' dress, but she thought it could be thought of as sexy, though why she would want to look sexy was beyond her.

The black halter dress struck her mid thigh and fitted her curves nicely. The back dipped low on her and she had to say that she thought it suited her just fine. She accompanied the dress with a pair of strappy hills that added about an inch and a half to her height.

She twisted her hair up, just to see whether it looked better, but decided to just leave it down. Though it was still bushy and the bane of her existence, she liked the effect. Her hair, though troublesome, was her.

She glanced over at the clock and saw that it was about time for someone to be coming so she quickly snatched up her purse and left her room. As she was walking down the stairs, she wondered briefly at who they would send to pick her up.

Hermione was shocked to see Blaise waiting for her in the pub part of the Leaky Cauldron. He smiled up at her and Hermione was stunned at how good he looked in khaki pants and a black button down shirt. She smiled back at him as she finished walking down the stairs and made her way towards him.

"Didn't expect to see you here," she greeted, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. She moved back to get a better look at him and noticed that he wore all designer clothes, something Harry hardly ever did. "You look…nice."

"Me?" he said with a grin. "Hermione, you are gorgeous!" He let his eyes roam over her appreciatively. "I think I can happily say that every man in the room tonight is going to wish to be in my place."

Hermione blushed and gave a nervous laugh, though her first instinct was to run upstairs and put on something that wouldn't draw attention to her. "Thanks, Blaise, but you are too kind. But let's not argue the fact. I bet they're all waiting on us so we should get going."

He held out his arm and she took it with a slight hesitation. She liked Blaise, really she did, but it still didn't feel…right.

"My lady, it will be my pleasure to escort you to your party," he said, smiling down at her as they weaved their way through the crowd and outside into the dark night.

Five minutes later, Blaise was leading her into a house which she didn't recognize at all. Actually, she couldn't ever recall being in this part of the country before.

"Er…Blaise, where exactly are we?"

He looked down at her and gave her a charming smile. "This is Draco's new place. Didn't Ginny tell you they had bought a new place?"

"No, I don't recall her ever saying anything but then again I haven't exactly been myself lately so I'm not likely to remember it," she informed him with a slight frown. She smiled. "It's really rather lovely, though. Quite the country house, I'd say, nothing like Draco's normal tastes."

He laughed. "I agree with you on that front. Come, they'll be out back I wager."

Blaise was right, Hermione soon discovered, everyone was waiting for them in the backyard. Everyone including Harry and Cho. Hermione had spotted him right away. He was standing by the snack table talking to Ron while Cho stood beside him studying her fingernails. Ginny was standing beside of her but was making no effort to make the other woman feel welcome.

"Hermione!" Fred shouted as he ran up to her and swung her around in his arms, pressing a swift kiss to the tip of her nose when he let her down. "You're finally here."

She laughed and hugged him. "Did you honestly think I wouldn't come? You should know by now that I never miss a chance to party with you lot."

Fred turned and shouted to his twin, "Hey George, I found out how we can keep Hermione here- just keep throwing parties!"

"Let me rephrase that," she said quickly, "I'll never miss a party while I'm in England."

"Bummer," the redhead said as he wrapped an arm around her waist and led her away from Blaise, though he followed close behind them. Fred was leading her over to where Molly Weasley sat with a tiny baby in her arms.

"Ah, Hermione, you're here," she said as they drew to a stop in front of her. "This is Franklin Thomas Longbottom. Isn't he precious?"

"Adorable," Hermione agreed as she bent down to peer at the baby. He was an exact replica of Neville only with Hannah's eyes and mouth. He was cute.

"Would you like to hold him?" Molly asked even as she placed the baby in Hermione's arms. Instincts kicked in and Hermione shifted the baby in her arms to make him more comfortable.

Once upon a time, Hermione had dreamed of having her own child. But when she fled to America, she had quickly put that dream on the back burner, saying that the only child she wanted was Harry's and since she couldn't have him, she just never thought about having children again.

But holding little Franklin in her arms made her realize that she did want a baby. She wanted someone who she could take care of and who, in return, would depend and love her. She wanted a child.

She didn't hear anyone come up behind her but she did hear Molly say, "Cho, would you like to hold baby Franklin?"

Cho made a sound of disgust. "Merlin, no. Babies are so…uck! They puck and poop and just cry all the time. They're filthy creatures who are demanding."

The silence that her statement caused was shocking, even Harry was looking at her dumbfounded. "You…don't want kids?" he asked slowly.

"No," she said quickly. "One, it will ruin my figure and two, I just don't have enough time. The only way I would consider having one of those brats is if it came gift wrapped from a designer store and with a nanny. Soon as the kid hits seven, they're off to boarding school in Germany."

Harry drew in a deep breath and moved away from her. "I never knew you felt that way."

"You want kids?" she asked sceptically.

"Well, yeah. I always imagined myself with a large family."

Everyone was looking between the two, unsure of what to say to break the silence. Finally, Hermione found she couldn't stand there any longer. She uncomfortably handed Franklin back to Hannah. "Er…well, if you'll excuse me, I need to go freshen up."

She quickly manoeuvred through the crowd and back inside the house. Now all she needed to do was find the bathroom in the bloody house that was a lot bigger than it looked.

Just her luck, the bathroom ended up being the last door she tried. She splashed some cold water on her face and studied her reflection in the mirror. Maybe coming to the party wasn't such a good idea after all.

Taking a deep breath for confidence, Hermione stepped out of the bathroom. She walked down the hall and found herself in a bedroom though it didn't appear to be the master bedroom. She was even more shocked to find that the room had an occupant.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she stuttered as she tried to back out of the room but he held up a hand to stop her.

"No, no, stay. Please." His emerald eyes locked onto hers and she couldn't refuse him.

She took a seat on the bed beside of him. She observed him closely as he sat there with his head hanging down, his eyes sad. It killed her to see him like this. "Harry?"

He gave a sharp, dry laugh. "I've totally screwed up this time."

She placed a hand on his arm . "Harry, you haven't screwed up…"

He turned his head and looked at her. "Yes, I have." He looked away. "I don't love her, I never really have, you know. I gave up on her a long time ago."

Now she was confused. "Then why…?"

"Because I was scared. I was scared of what I really felt and found that pretending to love Cho was an easy solution," he explained without looking at her. "A solution I regret with every ounce of my being."

"I don't understand, Harry. You love Cho…"

"No, I can assure you, I don't." He turned towards her and took her hands up in his. "Hermione, I've made a lot of mistakes over the years, but I have never regretted any of them, until you."

She tried to slip her hands from his grip but he held fast. "Are you saying that you should never have became friends with me, Harry, cause that's what it sounds like."

"Merlin, no! I have never for one minute regretted getting to know you." He shut his eyes as he drew in a deep breath. "Hermione, you scare the living daylights out of me, you know that? You're so pretty and smart and…I'm just a boy that gets himself into trouble one to many times."

"When you told me that you loved me, it was everything I could have ever wished for," he went on. "But while I laid there, I just kept thinking back to how many times I got you into a tight spot, how many times you could have died. I wanted to tell you how I felt, but I was scared, scared that my presence alone could ultimately lead to you getting hurt or killed."

"I could have kicked myself when you left for America. I realized that it was my treatment of you that actually drove you away. You have no idea how many times I had packed by stuff and was getting ready to come and retrieve you."

"Why didn't you?" she asked softly.

"Because I was afraid that you would reject me. That maybe you had gave up on me and found someone else to love," he admitted softly. "I wanted you, Hermione, but I wanted you to be happy."

"Harry, if you think I was happy over there then you are wrong. I hated it."

"I know that now," he said, brushing a curl behind her ear. "I should have came, but I just couldn't bring myself to. Then Cho came along and I thought a relationship with her would get my mind off you, but I was wrong…again."

He drew her closer to him and leaned his forehead against hers. "Every time I looked at her, I saw you. Every time I went into the bookstore, I thought of you. Every time I walked in my house, I imagined you running down the stairs and leaping into my arms. Every time I walked past the jewellery store, I realized that it was your finger that I wanted to put my ring on."

Hermione could stop the tears that were now running steadily over her cheeks like a crystal waterfall. "Why are you doing this now, Harry? Why?"

"Because I can't lose you again, Hermione. I need you here, with me. I need you to be the one that I hold in my arms. I need you to be the one that greets me when I come home. I need you to be the one that I call my wife."

Hermione sniffled and removed her hands from his to cup his face. "Harry, I need to know how you feel for me. Please, no more avoiding me or the truth. I need to know."

Slowly, he kissed her, his mouth movingly with slow deliberation over hers. He didn't try to further the kiss at all. He just seemed to be enjoying the feel of her lips against his.

"I love you, Hermione," he whispered against her mouth, his breath mingling with hers. "I always have and always will. I love you so very much."

Hermione threw her arms around him and they both tumbled backwards to lay out on the bed, holding each other tightly. She vaguely felt Harry pulling her closer as he apparated them both away from Draco's house and into an unfamiliar room.

As his lips found hers, she forgot everything- the party, her friends, Cho. The only thing that existed in that moment was her and Harry, two people who loved each other deeply with an unconditional love bred from many years of friendship.

XoX

Hermione stirred the next morning and paused momentarily as she felt the body beside of her. Last night's events flooded back to her and she smiled. Turning her head, she gazed upon Harry who slept on, his hair in total disarray.

She snuggled in closer to him, his arms instinctively tightening around her. She was hoping that he would wake up soon so that he could give a repeat performance of last night. She knew now that she truly loved him and there was no way she was letting Cho…

Cho?

Oh, Merlin. They had left the party. Cho was there. Everyone knew she had gone to the bathroom and then she had so 'conveniently' disappeared along with Harry. Cho could be looking for Harry now…she could find them…oh Merlin.

"Harry," Hermione said as she leaned up in the bed, tucking the sheet around her, "Harry, wake up. Come on, darling, you need to get up."

He muttered something in his sleep and pulled her back down beside of him. He held her close to him and she could help but chuckle. She had always thought of Ron as being the harder one to wake up but Harry was proving much more difficult.

"Come on, Harry, you have to get up," she repeated, more firmly this time.

His emerald eyes blinked open to look down at her. Confusion drifted in his gaze before it was quickly covered by a little of utter contentment as he smiled and kissed her. "Morning, love, sleep well?"

"Perfectly," she answered. "But now we have to get up and get moving."

"What's the rush?"

"Harry, we left the party last night without a word. You left your fiancée. She could walk in on us at any minute now and discover…"

"No, she can't," he said while trying to pull the sheet away from her.

"What?"

"She can't come in because the only person that can pop in and pop out of here without a key is me. I never allow her to come over here without me, and she never gets in without me either."

"What about someone else?" she asked, desperately trying to keep her focus even as Harry's hand made its' way down between her breasts and across her stomach, his mouth kissing her neck.

"Nope, sorry, no one else. I'm very protective of my space and usually no one tries to come without permission anyways," he said while his tongue and mouth worked at her throat, his hand sinking further down.

"What do we do now?" she whispered, her breath coming in short gasps.

She could feel him smiling wickedly against her neck. "Well, at the moment we are going to make love until we are both on the point of exhaustion. Then, later I say we go to Diagon Alley and find you a ring that equals your beauty and…"

"Harry," she said, trying to keep her brain functioning, "you have a fiancée. May I suggest you get rid of her before buying me a ring."

"Good thought," he murmured, his hand finding its' target, "but we'll do that later. Right now, I have something else on my mind."

She could only moan in reply.

**!ATTENTION!**

**If any of you guys have photoshop out there and are able to make icons, avatars, or pictures and are willing to do so for me, will you please contact me. I need two things made for my websites and I really have no idea how to do them. Oh, visit my new website "Who Will Win?". A HP affiliated website. The Link can be found under my profile. THANKS FOR THE HELP!**


	6. 6: Love

**DISCLAIMER: Wishing that I did own HP, but I don't.**

_I've seen your face a thousand times, have all your stories memorized. I've kissed your lips a million ways, but I still love to have you around. I've held you too many times to count, I think I know you inside out. And we're together most days, but I still love to have you around. And you're the one I want and it's not just a phase. And you're the one I trust, our love is the real thing._

_"The Real Thing" by Gwen Stefani_

**Chapter 6: Love**

Hermione stood looking into the mirror as the people around her seemed to move by in a blur. Her thoughts were scattered as she focused on the image in the mirror. It was time.

It was hard to remember that incident being two months ago and now here she was, preparing for the biggest commitment she would ever make.

To say that Cho had taken the news badly would be the understatement in the history of mankind. She had threw the biggest temper tantrum Hermione had ever seen. At one point she was on the verge of asking Cho whether she thought the people in China heard her, but decided that maybe she should just let her get it out. After all, she was taking away Harry.

However, while Cho was off crying to her friends and the press at how Harry had wronged her, the Weasleys and their friends were celebrating. None of them had liked Cho much anyways so it was really no great loss to them.

Ricardo had been very disappointed when she had shown up at the end of the week and handed him her resignation. When he had asked why, she had simply replied, "Love makes the biggest fools of us sometimes, but it can also make us happier than we could have ever dreamt of being."

He had let her go without even making her serve two more weeks. His sly smile had told her that he knew the situation and was happy for her, even if he was sad at losing her expertise.

The news had made headlines in every paper and magazine. Harry Potter, saviour of the wizarding world, announcing that he isn't going to marry Cho Chang, his fiancée, but instead Hermione Granger, his long-time friend, was big news.

Hermione glanced down at the small emerald ring on her finger. She had begged Harry to choose it over diamonds that were much larger. When he had asked why, she had merely answered that it reminded her of his eyes.

The necklace draped delicately around her neck now was the exact same colour and cut as the ring on her finger. It had been an early wedding present from Harry.

She ran her hands down the long, white skirt of her wedding dress. Today was the day, her wedding day, the day she would become Mrs. Harry James Potter.

"Hermione?" Ginny spoke softly from her right. "Are you ready?"

Hermione smiled and nodded. "I've been ready, I've always been ready."

The redhead nodded and took her arm. "Then let's go. I know someone else who is quite ready and impatient. Wouldn't want to keep him waiting, now would we?"

As Hermione made her way out of the room with Ginny, she couldn't help but wonder if things could get any better.

XoX

As the last of the guests filed away, Hermione smiled softly to herself. She now had a silver band on her finger that announced that she was a married woman, a woman married to the man she loved beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Harry had a similar band around his finger and she couldn't help but smile. He was hers. No other woman would ever have him as long as she was around.

"A knut for your thoughts," he whispered in her ear, his breath making her spine tingle.

She turned her face up to meet his kiss. "I'm just thinking about how happy I am with you." She kissed him more slowly this time. "I also admit to thinking that now no other woman is allowed to even look at you."

He laughed and swung her around. "Oh, Hermione, how can you possible think that I would even want to look at another when I have you?"

"I'm not saying that you would want to look, I'm saying that they had better not look," she said, a smile on her lips. "You're my Harry, no one else's."

He smiled arrogantly and said, "I think I like the sound of that."

"Good," she said as she kissed him.

He picked up _The Marauder_ from the ground and held it out. "Shall we, my lady?"

She swung her leg over it, "We shall." She waited while he climbed on behind her, wrapping his arms securely around her as he grabbed the handle.

"Hold on," he told her right before he kicked off at an alarming pace. Normally Hermione would have panicked at this point, but after building it and testing it out, she got thrill out of the fast speed.

He steered them straight into the sky until the chapel beneath them was just a tiny speck along with all the other houses. He levelled them out and flew on, testing out the full speed of the broom.

"This is amazing, Hermione," he told her once when they were flying over the ocean.

"Thank you."

"If you don't mind me asking, how did you get it to go this fast? I mean, the speed and handling is amazing. I would never have dreamed that a broom could handle this well at this speed."

She glanced back at him over her shoulder, eyes narrowed. "Do you promise that you won't ever tell my secret to anyone, no matter who they are?"

"Cross my heart," he replied earnestly.

"Not even Ron, Harry."

"I promise."

She turned around apparently in thought. Finally, he heard her say softly, "Actually, you were the inspiration behind the whole broom."

He pulled them to a stop. "I was?"

"Yes, you were. Actually, I followed the basic broom design for it," she answered flippantly. "I just added a core like you would to a wand."

"Really? Wow. I never would have thought of that."

"Obviously no one else did either, Mr. Smarty Pants."

"Stop mocking me," he said. "Anyways, what did you add to it?"

"A phoenix feather."

"A phoenix feather?"

"Yes."

"Wow. Never would have thought of that either."

"Again, obviously."

"So, phoenix feathers work for brooms…"

"Obviously."

"Alright, Mrs. Smarty Pants, just keep showing off how smart you are," he said with a laugh.

"I will."

He laughed as she shrieked when he went into a sharp dive. He pulled back up a foot off the ground and he could hear her trying to catch her breath. "Not so smart now, are you Mrs. Smarty Pants?"

"Oh, you are so going to pay for that, Potter."

He raised an eyebrow. "Really? And just what are you going to do about it?"

"This," she said as she reached behind him and grabbed his leg, hurling him off the broom.

Since they were only a little over a foot off the ground, he only landed with a 'thud' and glared up at her. "Oh, you are going to pay for that."

"Sorry, that _was_ payback," she informed him. "You can't pay me back for a payback."

He looked up at her. "Who says?"

"I do," she said with a raised chin. "What are you going to do about it?"

"This," he said as he jumped up and grabbed the broom, pulling it and her down. He grabbed her around the waist and rolled her over on the ground, rolling on top of her.

His lips connected with hers in a blazing kiss, his tongue making gentle sweeps over her lips. "Oh, I love you, Mrs. Potter."

She smiled up at him. "And I love you, Mr. Potter."

It was then that she realized that maybe life didn't always have a silver lining. That maybe one had to experience the bad before they got their happily ever after.

This was her happily ever after.

**That's the end. Hope you liked it. Big thanks to Curse Weaver for making an AWESOME graphic for mine and Blazey-poo's new website (look under profile for link). It is SOOOO cool. THANK YOU SO MUCH and, as always, thanks for reading!**

**Much Love, your favorite squirrel general,**

**MiZZ Amaya**


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